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Harrisburg's Sydney Halling attempts to score before the buzzard in the first half of the game against Aberdeen Saturday, March 17, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader

Harrisburg's Sydney Altenburg attempts to keep the ball in bounds against Aberdeen's Paiton Burckhard during the game Saturday, March 17, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader

Back by popular demand, it's the preseason coaches straw poll! We reached out to the high school basketball coaches across the state, asking them to rank the top five teams and top five players in their respective classifications. It's worth noting that some coaches ranked more than five teams and/or players (Nos. 6 and above were awarded one point), whilst others ranked fewer than five.

The Class AA girls preseason Player of the Year vote was relatively close, with O'Gorman junior Emma Ronsiek beating out Lincoln's Morgan Hansen by 13 points. Ronsiek received eight of the 12 first-place votes, with Hansen, Harrisburg's Jeniah Ugofsky and Brandon Valley's Trinity Law accounting for the others. Rapid City Stevens' Kyah Watson rounded out the preseason First Five.

As for the team poll, if my super-scientific methods are any indication, we should be in for a wild season in Class AA. The five top teams all received first-place votes with No. 1 Brandon Valley and No. 2 Harrisburg getting five, followed by No. 3 O'Gorman with three and Nos. 4 and 5 Lincoln and Rapid City Stevens, who both had one.

Here are the complete results from this year's straw poll, with first-place votes in parentheses.

COACHES POLL

No. 1 Brandon Valley, 55 (5)

2017-18: 15-9, 4th at state

An experienced, battle-tested group, the Lynx return two of their top players from 2017-18 in Danica Kocer and Law. Kocer provides a reliable perimeter presence for Brandon Valley, which nearly upset Aberdeen Central in last year's semifinals. The senior averaged nearly 13 ppg and converted 47 percent of her 100 shots from behind the arc (47 3-pointers tied school record). Ashley Wells, the team's leading rebounder, is also back for 2018-19.

No. 2 Harrisburg, 45 (5)

2017-18: 16-18, Runner-up

The Tigers have a couple of 6-foot posts anchoring their team in the paint with Ugofsky and junior Aby Phipps. A 6-foot junior, Phipps emerged as a legitimate contributor midway through last season, expanding her role as the season progressed. A scheduling note: The Tigers' February includes a trip to O'Gorman and a home-and-home with Lincoln. Yeesh.

No. 3 O'Gorman, 42 (3)

2017-18: 17-7, 6th at state

Assuming Ronsiek stays healthy, O'Gorman should have no problem reaching the state tournament. However, contending for a state title will require 5-foot-8 forward Rylee Benson (6.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and 6-foot-2 center Awoti Akoi (5.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) to shoulder more of the scoring burden.

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O'Gorman's Awoti Akoi runs out when she is introduced before the game against Spearfish Friday, March 2, at O'Gorman in Sioux Falls.(Photo: Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader)

No. 4 Lincoln, 39 (1)

2017-18: 19-4, 3rd at state

The proverbial championship window is open for the Patriots, who graduated just one starter from last year's 19-4 state tournament team. They expect to start four juniors (Brooke Brown, Osmundson, Mya Wilson, Hansen) and a senior (Sydnaya Dunn). Developing depth will be crucial to their success, but look for Lincoln to be among the top contenders by year's end.

No. 5 Rapid City Stevens, 39 (1)

2017-18: 19-7, 7th at state

RCS is relatively young, but has a couple of solid foundational pieces to build off in of in Watson and Elizabeth Schaefer. The Raiders will be tested right away with a visit from Brandon Valley to open the season, but they do not play any of the Sioux Falls schools until 2019 (Jan. 18-19).

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Brandon Valley's Trinity Law and Aberdeen's Paiton Burckhard try to gain control of the ball during the game Friday, March 16, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader

Brandon Valley's Hannah Behrens attempts to gain control of the ball against Aberdeen during the game Friday, March 16, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader

PRESEASON FIRST FIVE

Emma Ronsiek, O'Gorman, 47 (8)

Jr. | 6-1 | G/F

Most everyone knows who O'Gorman wants to feed the ball to on offense, but that has not and likely will not make stopping Ronsiek any easier (20 ppg, 8 rpg, .550 FG%). The 6-foot-1 junior is a versatile threat who presents a nightmare matchup for most teams. She's continued developing as a player and this season, look for her to step into a more pronounced leadership role.

Another Division I commit (South Dakota) from an outstanding Class of 2020, Hansen is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign (15.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 31 steals). The 6-foot-1 guard/forward is adept at causing disruptions with her length and athleticism, which also allows Daly to run a four-guard lineup, even against bigger teams.

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Lincoln's Morgan Hansen shoots a free throw during the game against Washington Thursday, March 15, at the Sioux Falls Arena.(Photo: Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader)

Jeniah Ugofsky, Harrisburg, 33 (2)

Sr. | 6-0 | F

Responsible for getting the runner-up Tigers' offense rolling in 2017-18, Ugofsky is a physical presence in the paint and is basically a vacuum when it comes to rebounds and loose balls. The USD signee averaged over 12 points and nearly nine rebounds last season, and will be expected to match -- if not exceed -- those figures as a senior.

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Harrisburg's Jeniah Ugofsky attempts to make a point against Yankton defense during the game Thursday, Jan. 4, at Harrisburg.(Photo: Briana Sanchez / Argus Leader)

Trinity Law, Brandon Valley, 27 (1)

Sr. | 5-9 | Guard

A crafty threat out of the backcourt, Law served as the primary catalyst for the Brandon Valley offense, averaging about 12 points (.390 FG%, .320 3PT%), three boards and three assists per game. The Nebraska Kearney commit is lethal in transition and a nuisance defensively (averaged 2.6 steals over 20 games).

Trinity Law of Brandon Valley dribble the ball during a fastbreak in the middle of several Yankton defenders during Thursday's Throwback Game at the Pentagon.(Photo: Michael G. Brown/For the Brandon Valley Challenger)

Kyah Watson, Rapid City Stevens, 15

Sr. | 5-10 | G

The Raiders could be a dark horse in Class AA this season, but their championship potential will hinge largely on the continued development of Watson. A 5-foot-10 guard, the junior was good for over nine points and five rebounds per game last season for RCS, which ended the year with 19 wins.